Special Correspondent, JOE EZUMA, looks at disturbing trends in Rivers State politics as 2015 draws close.
Events since the middle of July 2014 in Rivers State have raised the political temperature of the state, indicating what promises to be a fierce engagement in the months ahead. The developments, which pitted the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their members, saw the state police command taking measures that incidentally threw it into the fray, making it a party to the issue.
Subtle electioneering
The issue is that politicians have started making state-wide political campaigns disguised as seminars, empowerment programmes, launching, community visitations, meet-the-people tours, among other subterfuges. Interests among the contending political tendencies had on occasions led to bitter clashes in the course of the exercises.
The emerging volatile politics in the state, especially since Governor Chibuike Amaechi defected to the APC along with some PDP members and members of other political parties in the state, saw then Commissioner of Police in the state, Mbu Joseph Mbu, banning activities of Grassroots Democratic Initiative (GDI) and the Save Rivers Movement (SRM) – two political pressure groups that often clashed in the state.
Apparently sensing the security implications of the disguised political activities that amounted to flouting relevant portion of the electoral law, and to guard against breakdown of law and order, the new Commissioner of Police, Tunde Ogunsakin, on July 23, 2014, issued a statement reiterating the earlier ban on political activities. He expressed dismay that political office-holders had started flouting the ban under the guise of familiarisation tours or courtesy visits to various local government areas in the state, adding that youth organisations had hijacked such events and turned them into full-scale political rallies.
Double standards?
Ogunsakin’s warning apparently did not go down well with the state government, as Amaechi visited various communities in the state. Reacting through a statement late last month, the Commissioner of Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, expressed worry over Ogunsakin’s warning. Semenitari said that the state government was worried about the tone of the statement credited to the police boss and its implications.
Amaechi, through the commissioner, emphasised that since he became governor in 2007, he had always embarked on stewardship accountability tours and making participatory governance one of the key elements of his administration.
These, he said, included town hall meetings and meet-the-people tours.
He accused the police boss of turning a blind eye to PDP’s political outings, saying, “while the purpose of these obvious political gatherings of PDP is campaign for 2015, Ogunsakin appears unable to see or hear any evil”.
Bloody clashes
On August 13, a near bloody clash erupted in Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government and a base of Nyesom Wike, which the APC appears to have intensified efforts in maintaining political hold when a traditional ruler who reportedly aligns with APC, Anthony Owabie, allegedly shot his PDP-supporter son, Clement Owabie.
The Obio Akpor imbroglio arose over the hosting of Amaechi’s renewed meet-the-people tour which had stirred controversy across the state. Buildings and cars were reportedly destroyed in the uprising by opposing party supporters. The monarch was subsequently arrested and detained for questioning.
Elsewhere in Etche local government, two were killed and many wounded when the supporters of the two political parties clashed.
Police amber light
A concerned Ogunsakin was again on trouble-shooting at the wake of the Obio-Akpor crisis, warning politicians, public office holders, groups and other stakeholders to play by the rules as preparations for the 2015 general elections get on stream.
Observers see the warning as timely, given the turn of events in the state. They note, in fact, that not even the death of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Port Harcourt City Council, Charles Ejekwu, who was buried the same day the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) had its South South zonal rally in Port Harcourt and the Ebola outbreak in the city could ease the political tension in the state.
Allegations
While the atmosphere of unease reigns, there have been allegations of betrayal by the opposing camps. For instance, Amaechi, in one of his visits to Ikwerre communities, accused Wike of diverting N2 billion his administration gave to the Minister when the going was good, to construct 14 model schools, thereby depriving the people of good governance.
Query for Amaechi
But the PDP, in reply, accused the governor of spreading falsehood and dwelling on afterthought.
“How come Amaechi is only talking about it now that Wike is his political opponent? How come Amaechi as governor of the state did not take any action against Wike, if truly Wike diverted over N2 billion meant for building 14 schools? How come Amaechi has not invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offence’s Commission (ICPC) to probe Wike?” a statement by Jerry Needam, Media Adviser to the state PDP Chairman, Felix Obuh, asked, adding that the governor should show evidence that Wike diverted any public fund.
The PDP noted that Amaechi must answer the following questions and make good explanations if he wants to be taken serious: “If indeed Wike is corrupt, why did Amaechi nominate him to be appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? In the same vein, why did Amaechi make Wike the director-general of his campaign organisation in 2011, if Wike was corrupt? Is Amaechi now admitting that he was not in charge of his administration or that he was a weak governor? Is Amaechi now admitting that by not acting or speaking up against Wike before now, he was an accomplice to the crime of diversion of school contracts, assuming it exists?”
There are, thus, fears that the political temperature in Rivers would be on a steady rise as 2015 draws nearer because of the hardline posture of the combatants on both sides of the divide.